400,000 children in DR Congo could die from hunger, says Unicef

Tuesday December 12 2017

A Congolese boy rests on a wall as he waits for food at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing from the conflict in Kasai on June 4, 2017 in Kikwit. The UN warns that more than 400,000 children in DRC are severely malnourished and could die within months without emergency intervention. AFP PHOTO

In Summary

The UN warns that more than 400,000 children in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are severely malnourished and could die within months without emergency intervention.

An 18-month-long combination of violence, mass displacement and slumping agricultural output are having a devastating impact on the very young, it said.

The DRC — a country nearly twice the area of Britain, France and Germany combined — has a long history of violence, especially in its volatile east.